Protective glove

ABSTRACT

A protective glove intended for use by law enforcement officers and the like having in its preferred embodiment a thumbless handshaped leather outer glove side, a similarly hand-shaped leather inner glove side having a thumb, the two glove sides being sewn together along their aligned edges (using a joinder strip in the finger areas) to form a hollow leather glove shell. A protective insert sandwich comprising an outer layer of lead-filled vinyl, two intermediate layers of metal wire mesh and two inner layers of foam cushion is positioned next to the outer glove side. A hollow inner lining of smooth fabric is inserted into the hollow leather glove shell between the two foam cushion layers and the inner glove side. The resulting glove provides considerable protection against heavy blows, sharp objects and other instruments which would normally damage the wearer&#39;&#39;s hand and fingers. The glove also has considerable weight which enables the wearer to strike an assailant with an effective blow.

United States Patent 1191 Hamel 1451 Nov. 4, 1975 [54] PROTECTIVE GLOVE[76] Inventor: John S. Hamel, 49 Holt Road,

Andover, Mass. 01810 [22] Filed: Mar. 3, 1975 21 Appl. No.: 554,911

[52] US. Cl 2/161 R; 2/164; 2/167 [51] Int. Cl. A41D 19/00 [58] Field ofSearch 2/16, 20, 158, 159, 161 A,

Primary Examiner-Geo. V. Larkin Attorney, Agent, or FirmThompson, Birch,Gauthier & Samuels [57] ABSTRACT A protective glove intended for use bylaw enforcement officers and the like having in its preferred embodimenta thumbless hand-shaped leather outer glove side, a similarlyhand-shaped leather inner glove side having a thumb, the, two glovesides being sewn together along their aligned edges (using a joinderstrip in the finger areas) to form a hollow leather glove shell. Aprotective insert sandwich comprising an outer layer of lead-filledvinyl, two intermediate layers of metal wire mesh and two inner layersof foam cushion is positioned next to the outer glove side. A hollowinner lining of smooth fabric is inserted into the hollow leather gloveshell between the two foam cushion layers and the inner glove side. Theresulting glove provides considerable protection against heavy blows,sharp objects and other instruments which would normally damage thewearers hand and fingers. The glove also has considerable weight whichenables the wearer to strike an assailant with an effective blow.

11 Claims, 2 Drawing figures US. Patent Nov. 4, 1975 1 PROTECTIVE GLOVEBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the past, there have been manydevelopments in the field of protective clothing for military and lawenforcement personnel. Specifically, armored garments have gainedwidespread acceptance. Some portions of the body are easier to protectthan others. Those body portions which are not involved in much movement(e.g. the torso) are suited to being protected with relatively heavy andinflexible armored garments. On the other hand, those body portionswhich are involved in substantial movement (e.g. the arms and legs)require considerably lighter and more flexible armored garments. Theheavier the protective garment, the greater its protective capability,and the more it hinders the mobility of the wearer. Obviously, thedesign of any protective garment involves a compromise between levels ofprotection and mobility.

This invention relates to a protective glove which is specificallydesigned for use by police officers involved in riot control activities.Prior protective gloves have included layers of fabric and/or metalpadding which are usually sewn between the outer and inner shells of theglove. These gloves have typically been bulky, heavy, stiff and awkwardto use, with the result that they seldom were used. Also, despite theirweight, most of these gloves provided inadequate protection againstsharp objects such as knives or ice picks. Examples of such prior glovesare shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,657,391; 2,737,597", 2,864,091; 3,108,285;and 3,258,782.

It is an object of this invention to provide a protective glove whichhas both offensive and defensive capabilities. By offensive, it is meanta glove which has sufficient weight in a suitable location to permit thewearer to strike his assailant with a heavy blow. By defensive, it ismeant a glove which has sufficient armor in suitable locations toprotect the wearer from injury from a wide variety of sharp and heavyweapons.

It is another object of this invention to provide a pro tective glovewhich is comfortable to wear, which is relatively flexible, which isrelatively light-weight, which is similar in outward appearance to aconventional glove, which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture,which will retain its shape after extended use, and which, if out by asharp knife, will not fall apart or permit its armored portions tobecome detached from the rest of the glove.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The protective glove of this invention has aprotective armored insert which protects the entire outer or backportion of the hand as well as the backs of the fingers. The glove isquite flexible and has the general appearance of a conventional glove.The weight of the protective insert is evenly distributed across theback portion of the hand and is fixed in that even distribution. Theglove has a hollow outer shell and a hollow inner lining in the mannerof a conventional glove. A protective insert is encapsulated between thetwo hollow elements so as to protect the outer portions of the hand andfingers. The protective insert includes a metal-filled plastic layer,two wire mesh layers and two foam cushion layers. These layers areloosely held tgether and several layers are sewn to the outer glove sideat the cuff. Therefore, the protective insert has considerable freedomto slide relative to the outer glove shell when the wearers hand is madeinto a fist. This feature greatly increases the gloves flexibility.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of theprotective glove of this invention; and

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the various layers forming the protectiveglove of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 shows the complete glove10 which, in all outward respects, closely-resembles a conventionalglove. Glove 10 can be made in various lengths extending to the wrist orextending as much as eight inches above the wrist.

Glove 10 has a thumb-less hand-shaped outer glove side 12 and acorrespondingly shaped inner glove side 14. Both glove sides arepreferably made of leather or other animal hide, but can also be made ofother natural or synthetic materials. The inner glove side 14 is sewn toa thumb 15 and the fingers of the two glove sides are sewn to a joinderstrip 16 in the conventional square or box finger construction with allsewn seams hidden by assembling and stitching the glove inside out andthen turning the glove outside in to conceal and protect the threadsduring use. The box finger construction is preferred because it providesexcellent finger flexibility and also provides considerable space forthe encapsulating of the protective armored insert next to the flatouter glove side 12. An elastic strip is sewn to the inner surface ofinner glove side 14 at the cuff to keep the cuff snug. FIG. 1 shows thecompleted sewn hollow leather outer glove shell.

It will be understood that other glove constructions could be used. Forexample, the joinder strip 16 could be extended around the entire glove.Also, the outer glove shell could be made of synthetic material andmolded in one piece. The important point is that a hollow outer gloveshell is'required.

A hollow inner lining 18, which is shaped like the hollow outer gloveshell, but which is slightly smaller than the outer shell, is insertedinto the outer hollow outer glove shell and is affixed thereto by astitched hem 20. FIG. 2 shows the inner portion of the lining (and itssewn thumb) which is positioned against the inner glove side 14, andalso shows the outer portion of the lining which is positioned againstthe protective insert. When assembled, the inner and outer portions ofthe inner lining 18 are sewn together around their aligned peripheries(with the addition of a joinder strip and a thumb), or the lining couldalternatively be a single piece.

Preferably, inner lining 18 is made of a sueded nylon fabric which ispleasant to touch and which permits ease of hand insertion and removal.Obviously, other fabrics could be substituted.

What has thus far been described is a conventional glove having an outershell and an inner lining affixed thereto. What will hereafter bedescribed is the protective armored insert which changes the characterof the glove to one which has oflensive and defensive capabilities.

The protective insert comprises a number of layers including at leastthree different types of material which serve three different purposes.FIG. 2 shows the preferred embodiment of the protective insert whichincludes five material layers.

The layer which is positioned directly against outer glove side 12 is ametal-containing plastic material layer 22. Layer 22 is shaped like athumb-less hand and extends approximately eleven inches from thefingertip portion of the outer glove shell up to the cuff portion of theshell. Therefore, layer 22 protects the entire back of the fingers andthe hand. Layer 22 is flat, relatively flexible and has a solid sheetform. Preferably, layer 22 is a lead particle-filled vinyl plastisolelastomer which has even heavy weight distribution, great structural andtensile strength, high density, great tear strength, and greatresilience.

Layer 22 spreads, absorbs and protects against impacts and shockingblows by yielding, absorbing, and then elastically returning to itsoriginal shape. It is also very tough and resists penetration by sharpobjects. When the metal particles used are lead, the glove has the addedfeature of not transmitting ionizing radiation to the wearers hand. Thiscould be useful in the event a suspect were being inspected in an X-rayapparatus. Also, of course, lead is a very heavy metal and hasconsiderable shocking power when the glove is used as an offensiveweapon.

Positioned next to the metal-filled plastic layer 22 is the top layer 24of metal wire mesh material. This wire mesh layer is generallyrectangular and is approximately six inches long. Layer 24 extends fromthe upper finger portion of the glove up to the cuff portion.

Therefore, it protects the back of the hand against thepenetrationand/or cutting action of a knife or other sharp instrument. It also hasa cushioning effect. Layer 24 is flat, and is quite flexible along itslongitudinal axis. Preferably, layer 24 is a knitted, stainless steelwire mesh which has high strength and has high resistance to cutting ortearing.

Positioned next to top wire mesh layer 24 is an essentially identicalbottom layer 26 of metal wire mesh material. Preferably, the two wiremesh layers are formed from a cylinder which is flattened into arectangular two layered sandwich. FIG. 2 shows this flattened cylinder,and top layer 24 is broken away in the drawing to better illustrate theunderlying bottom layer 26.

Positioned next to the bottom metal wire mesh layer 26 is the topcushioning material layer 28. This cushioning layer, like the wire meshlayers, is rectangular. Top cushioning layer 28 is approximately seveninches long and extends from the upper finger portion of the glove tothe cuff portion slightly beyond the wire mesh layers. Therefore,cushioning layer 28 cushions the back of the hand against shocking blowsand also is designed to cushion and to withstand the abrasive nature ofthe wire mesh material against which it bears.

Top cushioning material layer 28 is flat, flexible, and has a sheetform. Preferably, layer 28 is composed of a number of thin sheets ofsemi-rigid ethyl cellulose closed cell foam which are adhered togetherand which strongly resists compression collapse.

Positioned next to the top cushioning layer 28 is the bottom cushioningmaterial layer 30. This cushioning layer is similar to top cushioninglayer 28 except that it preferably extends approximately eleven inchesfrom the fingertip portion of the outer glove shell up to the cuffportion.

The inner lining 18 is fastened at its fingertips to both bottomcushioning layer 30 and the metal-filled plastic material layer 22. Thishelps to prevent the inner lining from being pulled out of the gloveshell when the wearers hand is removed from the glove. The plastic mate-4 rial layer 22, the two cushioning layers 28 and 30 and the outer (i.e.upper) portion of inner lining 18 are inserted under the turned back hem20 of outer glove side 12, and all of the foregoing are stitchedtogether along the hem.

The five layers 22, 24, 26, 28 and 30 form the preferred embodiment ofthe protective insert which effectively protects the outside of thefingers and hand of the wearer. These five layers are not all fastenedto each other and are stitched to outer glove side 12 only at the cuffwhich prevents lateral displacement while allowing longitudinal slidingof the protective insert relative to the outer glove side 12. Thisfeature permits the wearer to more easily make a fist or grip an objectdespite the presence of the protective insert next to the outer gloveside.

It will be appreciated that a fully functional protective glove can befabricated with a protective insert containing three layers 22, 24 and30. However, the two additional layers 26 and 28 greatly increaseeffectiveness of the protective glove.

ln constructing the preferred embodiment of the glove 10, the first stepis to form the outer glove shell by the reverse stitching methoddescribed previously. Simultaneously, the inner lining 18 is formedeither by the reverse stitching method or by a simple sewing operation.

At the same time, the protective insert is formed and preassembled. Thewire mesh cylinder is flattened to form mesh layers 24 and 26. The twocushioning layers 28 and 30 are placed together and are positionedagainst the bottom wire mesh layer 26. This preassembles four of thefive layers.

The lead-filled vinyl layer 22 is formed by first mixing very fineparticle size lead powder with semi-viscous vinyl plastisol elastomer.After achieving a thorough mixture, the liquid is cast to shape in aheated mold, or is cast into sheet form in a heated mold, or calendered,and is then die cut to shape. The heating produces a rubber-likeelastomeric solid product. After cooling, the lead-filled vinyl layer 22is positioned next to the top wire mesh layer 24.

The next step is to attach together the aligned fingertips of the innerlining 18, the bottom cushioning layer 30 and, optionally, thelead-filled vinyl layer 22. Then, the assembler places his hand intoinner lilting 18 and inserts the inner lining and the five layerprotective insert into the hollow outer glove shell so that theprotective insert is located between the inner lining and the outerglove side 12.

Finally, the cuff edges of the hollow outer shell are folded back overthe edges of the hollow inner lining 18, the cushioning layers 28 and30, and vinyl layer 22, to form a hem 20 which is stitched around thecuff portion. This stitching fastens these layers to the cuff and alsoencapsulates the wire mesh layers 24 and 26 between the upper fingerportion of the hollow outer glove shell and the cuff portion thereof.The glove is thus completely assembled.

It will now be seen that the preferred embodiment has many advantagesover prior art gloves. It protects the entire backs of the fingers aswell as the back of the hand, while still providing the wearer withgreat flexibility of hand and finger movement. This is a considerableachievement. Also, the glove is quite conventional in appearance becauseof the flatness of the protective insert. It has a desired heavy weight,but the weight is so evenly distributed that it is not burdensome to thewearer.

The glove provides significant protection against heavy blows, againstpointed sharp instruments, against knives, against hot or cold objects,and against ionizing radiation. The protective insert is very dense andis not displaceable within the glove despite the occurrence of repeatedheavy blows. Even if the outer glove side is cut, the protective insertwill not likely become detached and cannot disintegrate.

The glove has excellent balance and feel, is extremely durable, and canbe manufactured relatively easily at a relatively low cost. Thelead-filled vinyl layer 22 is particularly important because it providesthe offensive capability as well as the defensive capability to thewearer. It also protects the wearers fingers (because of its intricateshape) as well as his hand, yet does not im pede the mobility of thewearers hand and finger movement. The glove is highly resistant tovirtually all types of hand weapon attacks and is capable of being usedoffensively with great effect. It is a superior protective glove to allprior gloves known to the inventor.

The above description obviously suggests many possible variations andmodifications of this invention which would not depart from its spiritand scope. It should be understood, therefore, that the invention is notlimited in its application to the details of structure specificallydescribed or illustrated and that within'the scope of the appendedclaims, it may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described orillustrated.

I claim:

1. A protective glove comprising:

a. a hand-shaped hollow outer glove shell having finger portions and athumb portion;

b. a flat, relatively flexible, solid layer of metal-containing materialinserted into said hollow outer glove shell, said metal-containingmaterial extending from adjacent to the cuff portion of said outer gloveshell to the fingertip portion of said outer glove shell;

c. at least one flat, flexible layer of metal wire mesh materialinserted into said hollow outer glove shell, said wire mesh materialextending from adjacent to the cuff portion of said outer glove shell toat least the upper finger portion of said outer glove shell;

(I. at least one flat, flexible, resilient layer of cushioning materialinserted into said hollow outer glove shell, said cushioning materialextending from adjacent to the cuff portion of said outer glove shell toat least the upper finger portion of said outer glove shell; and

e. a correspondingly hand-shaped hollow inner lining inserted into saidhollow outer glove shell, said inner lining extending from adjacent tothe cuff portion of said outer glove shell to the fingertip portion ofsaid outer glove shell, said inner lining 6 and said at least one layerof cushioning material and said metal-containing material layer allbeing fastened to said hollow outer glove shell only at the cuff portionthereof, said inner lining being positioned between the palm side ofsaid outer glove shell and said layer of cushioning material.

2. The protective glove of claim 1 wherein said metal-containingmaterial is a synthetic elastomer.

3. The protective glove of claim 2 wherein said elastomer containsuniformly distributed lead particles.

4. The protective glove of claim 2 wherein said metalcontaining materialis vinyl.

5. The protective glove of claim 1 where said layer of metal-containingmaterial is positioned against the back side of said outer glove shell,said layer of wire mesh is positioned against said layer ofmetal-containing material, said layer of cushioning material ispositioned against said layer of wire mesh, and said inner lining ispositioned against said layer of cushioning material.

6. The protective glove of claim 1 wherein said at least one layer ofwire mesh comprises two such layers, and wherein said at least one layerof cushioning material comprises two such layers, said wire mesh layersbeing positioned adjacent to each other and said cushioning materiallayers being positioned adjacent to each other.

7. The protective glove of claim 6 wherein said two layers of wire meshmaterial comprise a single flattened cylinder of wire mesh material.

8. The protective glove of claim 6 wherein said layer ofmetal-containing material is positioned against the back side of saidouter glove shell, said top layer of wire mesh is positioned againstsaid layer of metal-containing material, said bottom layer of wire meshis positioned against said top layer of wire mesh, said top layer ofcushioning material is positioned against said bottom layer ofcushioning material, said bottom layer of cushioning material ispositioned against said top layer of cushioning material, and said innerlining is positioned against said bottom layer of cushioning material.

9. The protective glove of claim 8 wherein said bottom layer ofcushioning material extends from adjacent to the cuff portion of saidouter glove shell to the fingertip portion of said outer glove shell.

10. The protective glove of claim 9 wherein said inner lining, saidlayer of metal-containing material and said bottom layer of cushioningmaterial are held together at their aligned fingertip portions.

11. The protective glove of claim 1 wherein said at least one layer ofwire mesh is encapsulated between and is entirely unfastened to saidmetal-containing layer and said at least one cushioning layer.

1. A protective glove comprising: a. a hand-shaped hollow outer gloveshell having finger portions and a thumb portion; b. a flat, relativelyflexible, solid layer of metal-containing material inserted into saidhollow outer glove shell, said metal-containing material extending fromadjacent to the cuff portion of said outer glove shell to the fingertipportion of said outer glove shell; c. at least one flat, flexible layerof metal wire mesh material inserted into said hollow outer glove shell,said wire mesh material extending from adjacent to the cuff portion ofsaid outer glove shell to at least the upper finger portion of saidouter glove shell; d. at least one flat, flexible, resilient layer ofcushioning material inserted into said hollow outer glove shell, saidcushioning material extending from adjacent to the cuff portion of saidouter glove shell to at least the upper finger portion of said outerglove shell; and e. a correspondingly hand-shaped hollow inner lininginserted into said hollow outer glove shell, said inner lining extendingfrom adjacent to the cuff portion of said outer glove shell to thefingertip portion of said outer glove shell, said inner lining and saidat least one layer of cushioning material and said metal-containingmaterial layer all being fastened to said hollow outer glove shell onlyat the cuff portion thereof, said inner lining being positioned betweenthe palm side of said outer glove shell and said layer of cushioningmaterial.
 2. The protective glove of claim 1 wherein saidmetal-containing material is a synthetic elastomer.
 3. The protectiveglove of claim 2 wherein said elastomer contains uniformly distributedlead particles.
 4. The protective glove of claim 2 wherein saidmetal-containing material is vinyl.
 5. The protective glove of claim 1where said layer of metal-containing material is positioned against theback side of said outer glove shell, said layer of wire mesh ispositioned against said layer of metal-containing material, said layerof cushioning material is positioned against said layer of wire mesh,and said inner lining is positioned against said layer of cushioningmaterial.
 6. The protective glove of claim 1 wherein said at least onelayer of wire mesh comprises two such layers, and wherein said at leastone layer of cushioning material comprises two such layers, said wiremesh layers being positioned adjacent to each other and said cushioningmaterial layers being positioned adjacent to each other.
 7. Theprotective glove of claim 6 wherein said two layers of wire meshmaterial comprise a single flattened cylinder of wire mesh material. 8.The protective glove of claim 6 wherein said layer of metal-containingmaterial is positioned against the back side of said outer glove shell,said top layer of wire mesh is positioned against said layer ofmetal-containing material, said bottom layer of wire mesh is positionedagainst said top layer of wire mesh, said top layer of cushioningmaterial is positioned against said bottom layer of cushioning material,said bottom layer of cushioning material is positioned against said toplayEr of cushioning material, and said inner lining is positionedagainst said bottom layer of cushioning material.
 9. The protectiveglove of claim 8 wherein said bottom layer of cushioning materialextends from adjacent to the cuff portion of said outer glove shell tothe fingertip portion of said outer glove shell.
 10. The protectiveglove of claim 9 wherein said inner lining, said layer ofmetal-containing material and said bottom layer of cushioning materialare held together at their aligned fingertip portions.
 11. Theprotective glove of claim 1 wherein said at least one layer of wire meshis encapsulated between and is entirely unfastened to saidmetal-containing layer and said at least one cushioning layer.